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Walter Dove was surfing YouTube channels on a rare day off when he came across a video previewing a virtual reality sandbox.

Dove, who has worked in the maintenance department at Montford North Star Academy for 25 years, instantly knew he wanted to bring this reinvented sandbox to the students of Montford. So, he got to work learning how to build it.

Three months later, the sandbox is now the hottest attraction for students at Montford and teachers are using it as part of their lesson plans focused on topography, natural disasters and maps.

"I work in maintenance so it is not common for me to pitch large projects such as this," Dove said.

But after he showed the video to his supervisor, who in turn took it to the administration, he was told the school would buy the sandbox if he helped build it.

The Augmented Reality Sandbox was originally developed by three teams at the University of California at Davis. Together, using 3-D visualization applications, they created a hands-on sandbox exhibit to teach earth science concepts, according to the project website.

The cost of the sandbox is about $14,000, but Dove said since he used a lot of spare items and made some of the parts from scratch it cost around $3,000.

Hundreds of schools across the nation have integrated the virtual reality sandbox into their classrooms, but the academy's is a first in Western North Carolina.

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Walter Dove stands next to the augmented reality sandbox he constructed for the students at Montford North Star Academy.(Photo: Angela Wilhelm/awilhelm@citizen-times.com)

Principal Shannon Baggett said it is not only used as a teaching tool, but it can also be really soothing in case kids need a break.

"It's great for them to manipulate something while they are learning," Baggett said.

She added that students who interact with the sandbox and ask questions can learn about the endless possibilities when it comes to their futures.

Schools that have virtual reality sandboxes allow students to make it rain, build miniature volcanoes or create giant lake beds.

The sand is safe for children's skin, Dove said.

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Montford North Star Academy students create mountains and valleys in an augmented reality sandbox October 25, 2017.(Photo: Angela Wilhelm/awilhelm@citizen-times.com)

"But it's also just a lot of fun," he added.

Grace Powell, 11, said she likes using the sandbox in class to learn about the weather and mountain elevations.

"We learn about islands and it's cool because it takes the shape of anything we want," said Powell, a student at Montford.

Dove watched with a smile as Powell and her fellow sixth-graders continued to build and then flatten small sand mountains.

"I am just glad they can enjoy this," Dove said. "I just do whatever I can for these kids."